"One of the most popular instruments used today in the Islamic Capital Market is sukuk. Various sukuk structures based on ijarah, musharakah, mudharabah and hybrid forms have evolved. However, these innovations have raised many Shari‘ah issues and controversies. This paper argues that some innovations which try to achieve the same economic outcome as conventional instruments distort the vision of Islamic economics based on justice and equitability. This vision is deeply inscribed in the objectives of the Shari‘ah (Maqasid al-Shari‘ah). The distortion stems from a restricted understanding of the Shari‘ah that focuses on the legal forms of contracts rather than their substance, especially when structuring financial products. The overemphasis on form over substance may lead to abuse of Shari‘ah principles in justifying certain contracts that are, in fact, contradictory to one or more Shari‘ah texts and that ultimately undermine the higher objectives of the Shari‘ah. The paper concludes that the substance of a contract, which has greater implications for the realisation of Maqasid al-Shari‘ah should be equally looked into."